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Contract Bridge LESSON 19 The Negative Double Response The Negative Double Response Double after Minor & Minor Double after Minor & Major Double after Major & Major Replies by Opener Responses by the Doubler Deals 65 to 68 Quiz - Answers - Review Bidding Guide : 13 - Facts 10

Your Partner opens 1 Club and you (with hand below) respond with 1 Heart, easy !
If Partner single raises your Hearts or bid NT you will pass, if he replies in Spades you bid NT yourself.

But look what happens when your right hand Opponent interferes with an overcall (in brackets) :

You are too weak to bid Hearts at the 2 level, and you can not bid NT because you have no stopper in the enemy's Spade suit. In other words you have no other option than to pass.

This is where the negative double optional bidding component can get you out of jail. (As a beginner it is best to first get solid with the basics of bidding before you incorporate this in your bidding system. The add on is quite simple, but you should avoid an overload of data clogging your mind and causing confusion.)

Simply put the negative double is a takeout double by the responder.
It applies when your Partner has opened in a suit (rather than NT) and your right hand Opponent has overcalled at the 1 or 2 level in an other suit.

The negative double then shows 6 points or more and 4 cards (with weak hands possibly more) in the unbid major suit. Here are the basic responses.

Comment on the NT Responses

The negative double response facilitates two most useful communications :

1. It enables the weak responder (with 6 - 10 points) to show his 4+ card major suit without having to bid it at the 2 level
   
   
2. It enables the intermediate and strong responder to specify whether he holds a 4 card or 5+ card major suit.

When both the Opener and Overcaller bid a minor suit, the Double shows both major suits.

With a weak hand (6-10 points) the holding may be 4-4, or 4-5, or even 4-6.
With 4 or more cards in only one of the majors bid that major suit, but only at the 1 level.

With all 11+ points hands it shows exactly 4 cards in both majors.
With only one major suit bid that 4+ card suit at the 1 level, but at the 2 level only with 5+ cards in the suit.

Do not double when you hold only one 4 card major suit but bid the suit at the 1 level instead.

A suit bid at the 2 level however requires a 5 card suit or longer and at least 11 points. Such a bid is forcing for one round (Opener may not pass).

Hand 1
You have (7½ HCP + 1 LP =) 8½ points, and 4-5 distibution in the major suits.

1. 1♣ - (1♦) - Your response = DBL
   
   
2. 1♦ - (2♣) - Your response = DBL

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 2
You have (11½ HCP + 0 LP =) 11½ points, and 4-4 distibution in the major suits.

1. 1♣ - (1♦) - Your response = DBL
   
   
2. 1♦ - (2♣) - Your response = DBL

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 3
You have (11½ HCP + 1 LP =) 12½ points, and 4-5 distibution in the major suits.

1. 1♣ - (1♦) - Your response = 1♥
   
   
2. 1♦ - (2♣) - Your response = 2♥

With 11+ points and a 5+ card suit always bid that suit, do not double.

After Partner opened a minor suit and your right hand Opponent overcalled in a major suit, or vise versa, double with 6-10 points and 4+ cards in the unbid major, or with 11+ points and exactly 4 cards in the unbid major.
With 11+ points and a 5+ card unbid major do not double but bid the suit at the 1 or 2 level.

Note that after an overcall of 1 Heart you can with a weak (6-10 pts) hand also specify exactly how many cards you holds in the Spade suit. With 4 cards you double, with 5 or more you bid 1 Spade.

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 4
You have 7½ points, and 4 Spades.

1. 1♥ - (2♦) - Your response = DBL
   
   
2. 1♦ - (1♥) - Your response = DBL (showing 4 Spades)
   
   
3. 1♦ - (1♠) - Your response = 1NT (showing a stopper in Spades)

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 5
You have (7½ HCP + 1 LP =) 8½ points, and 5 Spades.

1. 1♥ - (2♦) - Your response = DBL
   
   
2. 1♦ - (1♥) - Your response = 1♠ (showing 5 Spades)
   
   
3. 1♦ - (1♠) - Your response = 1NT (showing a stopper in Spades)

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 6
You have 13½ points, and 4 Spades.

1. 1♥ - (2♣) - Your response = DBL
   
   
2. 1♦ - (1♥) - Your response = DBL
   
   
3. 1♦ - (1♠) - Your response = 3NT (showing 13-15 points and a stopper in Spades)

After Partner opened with a major suit and your right hand Opponent overcalled in the other major suit your double shows both minor suits.
With a weak hand you can have 4 cartds in one minor and 4 or more in the other. With all hands with 11 points or more the minor distribution should be strickly 4-4. With a 5 card or longer suit and 11+ points do not double, but bid your long suit instead at the 1 or 2 level.

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 7
You have 9 points, and 4 cards in each of the two minor suits.

1. 1♥ - (1♠) - Your response = 2♥ (showing 3 card trump support)
   
   
2. 1♠ - (2♥) - Your response = DBL (showing both minor suits)

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 8
You have 12 points, and 4-4 in the minors.

1. 1♠ - (2♥) - Your response = DBL (showing both minor suits)
   
   
2. 1♥ - (1♠) - Your response = DBL (showing 4-4 in the minors)
   invite to Game in Hearts in your next bid to show trump support and 11-12 pts.

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(Down - Up - Top)
Hand 9
You have 14 points, and 4-4 in the minors.

1. 1♠ - (2♥) - Your response = 3NT (showing 13-15 pts, balanced with a Heart stopper)
   
   
2. 1♥ - (1♠) - Your response = 3♥ (showing trump support and 13+ points, forcing to Game)

Replies by Opener after Partner's negative double are straight forward.
With trump support for the inferred major suit, respond as if Partner hade actuallly bid that suit at the 1 level.

For example after 1♣ - (1♠) - DBL - Your reply ?

1. 2♥ - with 13-15 points and 4 card Heart support
   
   
2. 3♥ - with 16-18 points and 4 card Heart support
   
   
3. 4♥ - with 19+ points and 4 card Heart support

1. 1♣ - (1♠) - DBL - Opener's reply = 2♥
   showing 4 card Heart support and 13-15 points
   
   
2. 1♣ - (1♥) - DBL - Opener's reply = 1NT
   no 4 card Spade support, but stopper in enemy suit (Hearts)
   
   
3. 1♣ - (1♥) - 1♠ - Opener's reply = 2♠
   3 card Spade support (Partner shows 5 Spades !) and 13-15 points

The Doubler reveals in his second bid the point range of his hand.

Weak hands : 6-10 points

1. after Opener's "single raise" of your suit : Pass
   
   
2. after Opener's "jump raise" : Raise to Game with 8-10 points
   
   
3. otherwise usually Pass, but if no good contract has been reached yet : bid your 5+ card suit if you have one. Don't bid a 4 card suit.

Hand 11
You have 8½ points, and 4 Spades.

1. 1♦ - (1♥) - DBL - 2♠ - You ? > >: Pass
   
   
2. 1♦ - (1♥) - DBL - 3♠ - You ? > >: 4♠

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(Down - Up - Top)
Intermediate hands : 11-12 points

1. after Opener's "single raise" of your suit : raise to 3 level
   
   
2. after Opener's "jump raise" : raise to Game
   
   
3. Raise Opener's major suit to the 3 level with 3+ card support. This shows 11-12 points.
   
   
4. Bid 2NT without 3 card support for his major suit, but a stopper in the enemy suit

Hand 12
You have 12 points, and 4 Hearts.

1. 1♦ - (1♠) - DBL - 2♥ - You ? > >: 3♥
   
   
2. 1♦ - (1♠) - DBL - 3♥ - You ? > >: 4♥
   
   
3. 1♦ - (1♠) - DBL - 2♦ - You ? > >: 2NT
   
   
4. 1♠ - (2♦) - DBL - 2♥ - You ? > >: 3♥

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(Down - Up - Top)
Strong hands : 13+ points

1. After Opener's "raise" of your suit : raise to Game
   
   
2. When Opener shows no support for your suit bid 3NT with a stopper in the enemy suit
   
   
3. Without any of above possibilities cue bid the enemy suit. This alerts Opener that a Game is on and asks him to bid again.

Hand 13
You have 15 points, and 4 Hearts.

1. 1♦ - (1♠) - DBL - 2♥ - You ? > >: 4♥
   
   
2. 1♦ - (1♠) - DBL - 2♦ - You ? > >: 3NT

Deals 65 to 68 are examples of bidding as outlined in this lesson.

• Print out of Deals 65-68 - Bidding & Play
  
  
• Solo Bidding : 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 |
  
  
• Individual Hands for all Deals

BR 19.8 - Quiz 19 - Answers - Review